Steve Webb  0:00  
He took his eyes off God

Steve Webb  0:09  
This is the Lifespring! One Year Bible coming to you from Riverside, California and podcasting since 2004. I'm your OG Godcaster. Steve Webb. This is the daily podcast where we're reading through the entire Bible in a year. What's new? It's history Tuesday, and we'll read first Kings 10 through 13. I'm calling this episode, make it a priority. Let's get started with the prayer. Our gracious heavenly Father, I pray that as we read your world today, you would touch our hearts, open our eyes, Lord, teach us. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. All right, let's begin. 

Steve Webb  0:47  
First Kings chapter 10. The Queen of Sheba heard about how famous Solomon was. She also heard about how he served in worship the Lord, so she came to test him with hard questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large group of attendants. Her camels were carrying spices, huge amounts of gold and valuable jewels. She came to Solomon and asked Him about everything she wanted to know. Solomon answered all of her questions. There wasn't anything that was too hard for the King to explain to her. So the Queen of Sheba saw how very why Solomon was, she saw the palace he had built, she saw the food that was on his table. She saw his official sitting there, she saw the robes of the servants who waited on everyone. She saw his wine tasters. And she saw the burnt offering Solomon offered at the Lord's temple. She could hardly believe everything she had seen. She said to the king, back in my own country, I heard a report about you. I heard about how much you had accomplished. I also heard about how wise you are. Everything I heard is true, but I didn't believe those things. So I came to see for myself. And now I believe it. You are twice as wise and wealthy as people say you are. The report I heard doesn't even begin to tell the whole story about you. How Happy your men must be how Happy your officials must be. They always get to serve you and hear the wise things you say. He must take great delight in you. He placed you on the throne of Israel. The Lord will love Israel for all time to come. That's why he's made you king. He knows that you will do what is fair and right. She gave the king four and a half tons of gold. She also gave him huge amounts of spices and valuable jewels. No one would ever bring to King Solomon as many spices as the Queen of Sheba gave him Hiram chips brought gold from Ophir. From there, they also brought huge amounts of Almog, wood and valuable jewels. The King used the Almog, wood to make supports for the Lord's temple and the royal palace. He also used it to make harps and liars for those who played the music that much Almog, wood has never been brought into Judah or seen there since that day. King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for that was in addition to what he had given her out of Israel riches, then she left, she returned to her own country with her attendance. Each year Solomon received 25 tons of gold that didn't include the money that was brought in by business and trade. It also didn't include the money from all the kings of Arabia and the governors of Israel. King Solomon made 200 large shields out of hammered gold, each one weighed seven and a half pounds. He also made 300 Small shields out of hammered gold. Each one weighed almost four pounds. The King put all of the shields in the palace of the forest of Lebanon. Then he made a large throne. It was decorated with ivory, it was covered with fine gold. The Throne had six steps, it's back at a rounded top. The Throne had armrests on both sides of the seat, a statue of a lion stood on each side of the throne. 12 Lions stood on the six steps, there was one at each end of each step. Nothing like that throne had ever been made for any other kingdom. All of King Solomon's cups were made out of gold. All of the articles that were used in the palace of the forest of Lebanon were made out of pure gold. Nothing was made out of silver. When Solomon was King silver wasn't considered to be worth very much. He had many ships that carried goods to be traded. His ships went to sea along with high rim ships. Once every three years the ships returned. They brought gold, silver, ivory, apes and baboons. King Solomon was richer than all of the other kings on earth. He was also wiser than they were. People from the whole world wanted to meet Solomon in person. They wanted to see for themselves how wise God had made him. Year after year, everyone who came to him brought a gift They brought articles that were made out of silver and gold. They brought robes, weapons and spices. They also brought horses and mules. Solomon had 1400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept some of his horses and chariots in the chariot cities. He kept the others with him in Jerusalem. The King made silver is common in Jerusalem is stones. He made cedar wood is common there is Sycamore fig trees in the western hills. Solomon got horses from Egypt and from QE, the Royal traders bought them from QE. They weighed out 15 Pounds of silver for a chariot from Egypt, and they weighed out almost four pounds of silver for a horse. They also sold horses and chariots to all of the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Arameans 

Steve Webb  5:49  
First Kings chapter 11. King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter Moabites ammonites Edomites, Sidonians, in Hittites, they were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites you must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after other gods. Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had 700 wives of royal birth, and 300 concubines and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God as the heart of David his father had been. He followed ash Turriff, the goddess of the Sidonians and Molek, the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not follow the Lord completely as David his father had done. On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for key Mosh, the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek, the detestable god of the Ammonites, he did the same for all his foreign wives who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord's command. So the Lord said to Solomon, since this is your attitude, and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you, and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime, I will tear it out of the hand of your son, yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him. But we'll give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen. Then the Lord raised up against Solomon, an adversary, Hadad, the Edomites from the royal line of Edom. Earlier when David was fighting with Edom Joab, the commander of the army who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men and Edom Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months until they had destroyed all the men in Edom. But Hadad, still only a boy fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials who had served his father. They set out from Midian and went to pay run, then taking people with pay run with them. They went to Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave hate at a house and land and provided him with food. Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen top and ease in marriage. The sister of top Annie's bore him a son named get new bath, whom top and he's brought up in the royal palace. They're given new bath live with Pharaohs own children. While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his ancestors, and that Joab the commander of the army was also dead. Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, let me go that I may return to my own country. What have you lacked here that you want to go back to your own country? Pharaoh asked nothing Hadad replied but let me go. And God raised up against Solomon, another adversary, reason son of Elijah, who had fled from his master Hadad, Caesar king of Zelda. When David destroyed Zopa, his army reason gathered a band of men around him and became their leader. They went to Damascus, where they settled and took control. Reason was Israel's adversary as long as Solomon lift adding to the trouble caused by hate hat. So reason ruled in Aram and was hostile toward Israel. Also, Jeroboam son of knee bat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon's officials and Efrain might from Derrida and his mother was a widow named zorua. Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king. Solomon had built the terraces and it filled in the gap in the wall of the city of David his father. Now Jeroboam was a man of standing and when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force. other tribes have Joseph, about that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and a hijo, the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way wearing a new cloak. The two of them were out alone in the country, and a hydra took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into 12 pieces. Then he said to Jeroboam, take 10 pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord the God of Israel says, See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand, and give you 10 tribes. But for the sake of my servant David in the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe, I will do this because they forsaken Me and worshipped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, Ki Mosh, the God of the Moabites and Molek, the God of the Ammonites, and if not walked in obedience to Me, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my decrees and laws as David Solomon's father did. But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand, I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David, my servant, whom I chose, and who obeyed my commands and decrees, I will take the kingdom from his son's hands and give you 10 tribes, I will give one tribe to his son, so that David, my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my name. However, as for you, I will take you and you will rule over all that your heart desires, you will be king over Israel. If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to Me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David, and will give Israel to you. I will humble David's descendants because of this, but not forever. Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam fled to Egypt to Shake Shack, the king and stayed there until Solomon's death. As for the other events of Solomon's reign, all he did in the wisdom he displayed, are they not written in the book of the annals of Solomon? Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel 40 years. Then he rested with his ancestors, and was buried in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king. 

Steve Webb  12:23  
First Kings 12 Rehoboam went to Shechem where all Israel had gathered to make him king. When Jeroboam son of nee bat heard of this, he returned from Egypt, for he had fled to Egypt to escape from King Solomon, the leaders of Israel summoned him and Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel went to speak with Rehoboam. Your father was a hard master, they said, lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us, then we will be your loyal subjects. Rehoboam replied, give me three days to think this over, then come back from my answer. So the people went away. Then King Rehoboam discussed the matter with the older men who had counseled his father Solomon, what is your advice? He asked, how should I answer these people? The older counselors replied, If you're willing to be a servant of these people today and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your loyal subjects. But Rio Boehm rejected the advice of the older men, and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him, and were now his advisors. What is your advice? He asked them? How should I answer these people who want me to lighten the burdens imposed by my father? The young men replied, This is what you should tell these complainers who want a lighter burden. My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. Yes, my father laid heavy burdens on you, but I'm going to make them even heavier. My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions. Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people returned to here RIA bombs decision, just as the king had ordered. But RIA bomb spoke harshly to the people for he rejected the advice of the older counselors and followed the counsel of his younger advisors. He told the people, my father laid heavy burdens on you, but I'm going to make them even heavier. My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions. So the king paid no attention to the people. This turn of events was the will of the Lord. For it fulfilled the Lord's message to Jeroboam, son of knee bat, through the prophet Elijah from Shiloh. When all Israel realized that the king had refused to listen to them, they responded down with a dynasty of David. We have no interest in the son of Jesse, back to your homes. Oh, Israel. Look out for your own house. Oh, David. So the people of Israel returned home, but Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah. King Rhea bomb, said Adam IRAM, who was in charge to forced labour to restore order, but the people of Israel stoned him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam, he quickly jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. And to this day, the northern tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David. When the people of Israel learned of Jeroboam has returned from Egypt, they called an assembly and made him king over all Israel. So only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the family of David. When Rehoboam arrived to Jerusalem, He mobilized the men of Judah in the tribe of Benjamin 180,000, select troops to fight against the men of Israel, and to restore the kingdom to himself. But God said to Shemaiah, the man of God, say to Rehoboam, son of Solomon, King of Judah, and to all the people of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people. This is what the Lord says, Do not fight against your relatives, the Israelites go back home for what has happened is my doing. So they obeyed the message of the Lord and went home as the Lord had commanded. Jeroboam then built up the city of Shechem, in the hill country of Ephrem, and it became his capital. Later, he went and built up the town of Peniel, Jeroboam thought to himself, unless I'm careful, the Kingdom will return to the dynasty of David. When these people go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices of the temple of the Lord, they will again give their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah, they will kill me and make Him their king instead. So on the advice of his counselors, the king made two gold calves. He said to the people, it is too much trouble for you to worship in Jerusalem. Look, Israel. These are the gods who brought you out of Egypt. He placed these calf idols in Bethel and in Dan, at either end of His kingdom. But this became a great sin for the people worship the idols, traveling as far north as Dan, to worship the one there. Jeroboam also erected buildings at the pagan shrines, and ordained priests from the common people, those who are not from the priestly tribe of Levi, and Jeroboam instituted a religious festival in Bethel, held on the 15th day of the eighth month, in imitation of the annual festival of shelters in Judah. There at Bethel, he himself offered sacrifices to the Cavs, he had made and he appointed priests for the pagan shrines he had made. So on the 15th day of the eighth month, a day that he himself had designated, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar at Bethel. He instituted a religious festival for Israel, and he went up to the altar to burn incense. 

Steve Webb  17:40  
First Kings chapter 13. At the Lord's command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense. Then at the Lord's command, he shouted, oh, alter, alter. This is what the Lord says, a child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David, on you, he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you. That same day, the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, The Lord is promised to give this sign, this altar will split apart, and it's ashes will be poured out on the ground. When King Jeroboam heard the man of God speaking against the altar at Bethel, he pointed at him and shouted, seize that man. But instantly, the king's hand became paralyzed in that position, and he couldn't pull it back. At the same time, a wide crack appeared in the altar, and the ashes poured out, just as the man of God had predicted in his message from the Lord, the King cried out to the man of God, please ask the Lord your God to restore my hand again. So the man of God prayed to the Lord, and the king's hand was restored, and he could move it again. Then the king said to the man of God, come to the palace with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift. But the man of God said to the king, even if you gave me half of everything you own, I would not go with you. I would not eat or drink anything in this place. For the Lord gave me this command. You must not eat or drink anything while you were there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came. So he left Bethel and went home and other way. As it happened, there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons came home and told him what the man of God had done in Bethel that day. They also told their father what the man had said to the king, the old prophet, ask them, which way did he go? So they showed their father which road the man of God had taken, quick saddle the donkey, the old man said. So they saddled the donkey forum and he mounted it. Then he wrote after the man of God and found him sitting under a great tree. The old Prophet asked him, Are You the man of God? who came from Judah? Yes, I am, he replied. Then he said to the man of God, come home with me and eat some food. No, I cannot, he replied, I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place. For the Lord gave me this command, you must not eat or drink anything while you were there, and do not return to Judah, by the same way you came. But the old Prophet answered, I am a prophet to just as you are, and an angel gave me this command from the Lord, bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink. But the old man was lying to him. So they went back together and the man of God ate and drank at the prophets home. Then while they were sitting at the table, a command from the Lord came to the old prophet, he cried out to the man of God from Judah. This is what the Lord says, you have defied the word of the Lord and have disobeyed the command the Lord your God gave you, you came back to this place and ate and drank where he told you not to eat or drink. Because of this, your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors. After the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet saddled his own donkey for him, and the man of God started off again. But as he was traveling along, a lion came out and killed him. His body lay there on the road with a donkey and the lion standing beside it. People who passed by saw the body lying on the road, and the lions standing beside it, and they went and reported it in Bethel, where the old prophet lived. When the Prophet heard the report, he said, It is the man of God who disobeyed the Lord's command. The Lord has fulfilled his word by causing the lion to attack and kill him. Then the Prophet said to his sons saddle a donkey for me. So they saddled a donkey and he went out and found the body lying in the road. The donkey and the lion were still standing there beside it, for the lion had not eaten the body nor attacked the donkey. So the Prophet laid the body of the man of God on the donkey and took it back to the town to mourn over him and bury him. He laid the body in his own grave, crying out in grief, oh, my brother. Afterward, the Prophet said to his sons, When I die, bury me in the grave with a man of God is buried, lay my bones beside his bones. For the message the Lord told him to proclaim against the altar in Bethel, and against the pagan shrines in the towns of Samaria will certainly come true. But even after this, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways. He continued to choose priests from the common people, he appointed anyone who wanted to become a priest for the pagan shrines. This became a great sin and resulted in the utter destruction of Jeroboam his dynasty, from the face of the earth.

Steve Webb  22:49  
In chapter 11, we saw that Solomon wandered from God because He loved many foreign women. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines, and this one against Deuteronomy 1717, which says, The king must not have many wives. If he does, they will lead him astray. And the fact that he married Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, and Cydonia. INS made it even worse. Compare this with Solomon's prayer upon the completion of the temple, you remember that prayer was sincere, and Solomon loved the Lord and His people at that time. So what happened? He took his eyes off God and his affections went toward his wives, which is why it's important to pay attention to your relationship with God. If you love God today, that's fantastic, wonderful, stupendous, even. But let Solomon be an example to you. take seriously the importance of maintaining the relationship. There's a joke about the wife who asks her husband if he loves her. He says, I told you, I loved you the day we got married, until I tell you otherwise, nothing has changed. The reason that's funny to us is, we know it's patently ridiculous. Love and a marriage should always be restated and reinforced. So just because you love God today does not mean you should or can relax. God isn't going anywhere, but your heart will probably wander if you don't maintain the relationship. Well, how do you maintain your relationship with God? In many of the same ways that you do with people you love, you spend time with them, you care about what they care about. You tell them you love them. And more important than telling them is demonstrating it in 1000 different ways. You prioritize time with them, meaning that you set aside certain times to be with them. You talk with them, you share your heart with them, and you find out what matters to them. God has shared his heart with us through His Word, the Bible, you're listening to this shows a great start in hearing God's heart, but I hope it also gives you a thirst to want to read and studied on your own. At the end of the show, I sometimes ask you what do you think that's not a rhetorical Question. I want you to think about what God is saying to you as a result of each day's reading. You can and should spend time with God in prayer. Prayer should be a conversation, take turns, you talk, then you listen, then you respond, then you listen again. And so it goes, The Holy Spirit will speak to you. Also, Scripture tells us that when two or more are gathered together in his name, he is there in the midst of them. So another way to spend time with God is to go to church, go to Bible studies, serve in a ministry of some sort, make God the center of your life and be faithful about it. If you're married, serve God as a team. If you're single, the apostle Paul said, that is a better way because your affections aren't split between your spouse and God. But He acknowledges that not all can live that way in marriages, okay? And when you're looking for a spouse, be sure that they have a solid, real relationship with Jesus. You don't want to be drawn away like King Solomon was right. Well, beloved, what do you do to keep your relationship with the Lord a priority? How do you keep it strong and healthy? Let me know call the Lifespring family Hotline at plus 1-951-732-8511 or send to boostagram. You can also go to comment.lifespringmedia.com dot com. I do read every comment and I just might play your audio comment or read your comment on the show. Tomorrow will be Psalms Wednesday, and we'll read chapters 69 through 71. We'll also have a time of prayer and we'll have our second installment of essentials

Jingle  26:49  
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Steve Webb  26:50  
Thanks to today's artist Jason Paschall, and also Thanks to Sister Denise who does the transcripts. Michael Haner who does the chapters and both Scott Snider and Jason Paschall share the artistic duties for the show art and Sister Brittaney publishes the newsletter. Have you subscribed if not go to news dot Lifespring media.com I promise not to spam you until tomorrow. Thanks so much for making me a part of your day. May God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye

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